1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wide area network communication. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing private branch exchange services on a wide area network.
2. Background
Private branch exchange (PBX) networks are known. A typical stand-alone PBX includes a collection of telephone extensions that transceive telephone calls to and from the PBX. The PBX is connected to an outside telephone network such as a public switch telephone network (PSTN). The PBX functions as a central point in which outside phone calls made through the PBX extensions are funneled for transmission to and from at least one PSTN line so that more than one PBX extension may be shared with a single PSTN line. Specifically, the PBX treats each PSTN line connected to the PBX as a non-dedicated line that may be sequentially shared to support voice traffic originating from any of the PBX extensions. This reduces the number of PSTN lines that would have been required to support each extension if a PBX was not used. Also, a typical PBX enables a user at one extension to use features offered by the PBX with another user at another extension supported by the PBX.
However, a PBX suffers from the following disadvantages. First, a PBX is limited to providing PBX features to only those users with access to the PBX's extensions. Users that do not have access to the PBX extensions, such as those who call in from an outside line, cannot use the features offered by the PBX. Thus, a stand-alone PBX is limited to supporting telephones that are directly connected to a PBX extension. Second, PBX features must generally be initiated through special keystroke sequences that must be known or memorized by a user when using single line phones, limiting the usefulness of such features since they require user knowledge and proficiency. Using proprietary phones having specialized keys avoids the need for user memorization but has the disadvantages of added cost and incompatibility with other PBX systems.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a telecommunication platform and network that provides PBX-like features to every user of a telephone or user engaging in a telephone call that can be routed through a standard telephone network such as a PSTN.
Moreover, it would be desirable to provide a telecommunication platform and network that provides voice prompting to a user, enabling the user to perform network services such as voice communication simply by following a voice prompt rather than by memorizing complex keystroke sequences.